Are you excitedly awaiting The Dark Knight Rises premiere on July 20th? Well, a whole lot of people in New York are: Tickets for the midnight IMAX screening in New York sold out six months in advance. Wowza. The last installment of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is guaranteed to be one the biggest events in cinema history, and if you’re trying to see it the first weekend it’s out, you better go ahead and get tickets now. Until the big day, here are a few presentation lessons from Batman to tide you over.
You Alone Can Do It
If you didn’t already know this about Batman, then you probably wouldn’t glean it from the movies: he doesn’t have superpowers. So despite all the super pain Batman looks like he’s apart of, he bears all of it sans superpowers. But don’t despair, Wikipedia tells us (somewhat hilariously) “he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear, and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.” That’s a mouthful, but the point is Batman uses a myriad of his skills and abilities to defeat bad guys. If Batman can beat vile villains like the Joker without superpowers, then you certainly don’t need them to give a great presentation. You as an ordinary human being alone can do it. Promise.
Sidekicks are Clutch
Behind every great superhero is a great sidekick, and for Batman that sidekick is, of course, Robin. He dedicatedly helps him fight crime, and he’s there whenever Batman’s in a sticky situation. The importance of a sidekick really can’t be overlooked. As a presenter, your sidekick is your slides. They help you get your points across, and they give you unwavering confidence and support. If you don’t feel like your slides are as an effective sidekick as Robin, you need to go back and work on them until they do.
When in Doubt…
If an hour before your presentation, you’re beginning to feel uneasy and the butterflies in your stomach are starting up strong and you can barely breathe because you’re so nervous, fashion yourself a secret identity. Pretend you’re someone else. Someone who’s an absolute master at presenting, someone who never makes mistakes, someone who makes the entire audience weep with appreciation. Your secret identity probably won’t be as cool as Batman’s– it’s not likely to get much better than billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne– but the simple act of pretending you’re someone else can do wonders for your attitude and confidence. You could pretend you’re Batman, even. Whatever it takes for you to get up there and give an incredible presentation.
